103. Throwback Episode | Meal Planning Made Simple: Time-Saving Tips for Busy Moms with Allison Schaaf

If you're a busy mom trying to juggle everything — and still get a healthy dinner on the table — this episode is a fan favorite for a reason! I'm joined by Allison Schaaf, a Chef, Registered Dietitian, and Founder & CEO of Prep Dish, and a mom of three. After years of working as a personal chef and at high-end spas, Allison knew there had to be a more efficient, cost-effective, and sanity-saving way to get healthy, crowd-pleasing meals on the table. That's how Prep Dish was born — and this conversation is still just as relevant today as when it first aired.

In this conversation, Allison shares:

• Why meal planning is a total game-changer for busy moms
• The easiest way to start meal planning (even if it feels overwhelming)
• Three grocery shopping tips to save time and make healthier choices
• How meal planning supports healthier eating habits without adding pressure
• Must-have kitchen tools that make meal prep faster and easier
• Strategies for handling picky eaters and different dietary needs
• How to meal prep efficiently when you only have 30 minutes to spare

Allison's passion is making mealtime efficient, healthy, and delicious. Whether you're brand new to meal planning or just looking for fresh ideas to simplify your week, you'll walk away from this episode feeling equipped and inspired — and maybe finally ready to ditch the 5pm panic.

MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only. In no way is this therapy or clinical advice.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The main key is really just making sure you get to dinner time and it's like, okay, I don't have to think about it. When you have to think about it, that's where you run into the issues of like, I'm just gonna do takeout. That's when it becomes hard. And at the end of the day, no one wants hard. So the thing that meal planning is doing is it's like setting you up to where that time is like, oh, I don't have to think about it. My past self set me up, I got this, you know.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Motherhood is beautiful, but let's be real, it's also overwhelming. If you're a mom who loves her kids fiercely, but also has ambitions beyond the carpool line, you might be feeling something else too. Torn. You're keeping everything running, managing the schedules, the meals, the mental load, but you're also craving something more. Maybe it's your career, your creativity, or just remembering who you were before everyone needed something from you. And the guilt of wanting both, it's exhausting. From the outside, you look like you have it all together, but inside you're stretched thin, wondering if you have to choose between being a great mom and becoming the woman you're meant to be. Here's the truth: you don't have to choose between both. I'm Liz Emmerich, licensed therapist, mom of three, and someone who deeply understands the both and tension of motherhood. This is Experience Motherhood, the place where we dismantle the myth that you have to do it all or lose yourself. Through honest conversations with experts and moms in the trenches, you'll get mental health insights, grounded encouragement, and permission to build a life that honors every part of you. Let's live motherhood fully, honestly, and together. It's time to experience motherhood. Hello, and welcome back to Experience Motherhood Podcast. If you've ever found yourself staring into the fridge at 5 p.m. wondering what on earth you're going to make for dinner, you are not alone. Meal planning can feel overwhelming, but today's guest is here to change that for us. I'm so excited to be joined by Allison Schoff, a chef, registered dietitian, founder and CEO of Prep Dish, and a busy mom of three. After spending years as a personal chef and working in high-end spas, Allison saw firsthand the need for a more efficient, cost-effective, and sanity-saving way to get healthy, crowd-pleasing meals on the table. And that's exactly why she created Prep Dish to help busy moms like you and me make mealtime easier, healthier, and of course delicious. In this episode, Allison is sharing her best meal planning strategies, time-saving grocery shopping tips, and the key to keeping healthy without stress. So, whether you're juggling work, kids, or just the never-ending what's for dinner question, this conversation is packed with practical advice you can use starting today. So let's dive in. Well, hi, Allison. Welcome to the podcast. I am really excited for today's conversation. I just love talking about food. I don't know what like mom doesn't. Um, but I feel like the most common question is always for my kids, what's for dinner? Even if I have it written out. So I'm excited to hear all about you and your journey and just help us like get on this like train of meal planning because I think it's gonna help so many moms out. So, do you want to tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Yeah, sure. So my name's Allison and I, gosh, I founded Prep Dish, I want to say 13 years ago, back when I was single, no kids. I was a personal chef and working one-on-one with clients, helping them get meals on the table. As I was doing this, I realized, wow, I'm I have this like system. So I was trying to be as efficient as possible. And I so as I was kind of working with clients, I started jotting down my recipes, but like more than my recipes, my system, right? Like, how do you batch things? How do you, you know, get in and out of the grocery store really quickly? Like all of these really like efficiency tips. And then kind of started coming up with a plan to get it online and do this one-to-many, you know, meal plan where I could not just help six people a week, but I could help, you know, thousands of people a week. And so I did that and, you know, had a lot of fun. And then, you know, now fast forward, you know, 13 years, 12 years. Now I am a, you know, busy mom with three little boys. And in the past, I made my recipes and my meal plans, but now it's like I have to have them. You know, like I on Friday, I'm like, okay, what what's my which plant am I using this week? Let's get the groceries ordered. Like I survive using these meal plans that I created. So it's been a kind of this full circle moment of I created something that my future self now really needs.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Yeah. Oh my gosh. And I love meeting other boy moms. I also have three boys. I would love to know how old your kids are, just so listeners have an idea. So six, four, and 14 months. Oh, okay. You're in it. You're in it all the way. That's amazing. Well, okay, so back us up a little bit because I know like meal planning in general, like, I feel like people have heard of this. Like, it's not like a new term. Like, people talk about like, yeah, you should meal plan. Yeah, you should meal plan, but it can feel really overwhelming. And you know more than anyone with three littles. Like, it's kind of hard to find the time sometimes or to make the time. What do you think is like the simplest way to just get started if somebody wants to meal plan but hasn't yet?

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Yeah, well, it's kind of just doing the the basic thing, which is jotting down, like making a list of what you're going to eat for next week. Uh, you know, and that does not have to be a lengthy process. Like that can just be as simple as like, okay, we're gonna have chicken this day, you know, beef or tacos, you know, just kind of like figuring out what are we gonna like assign a day to a meal, just start there. Um, you know, and then from there you create the grocery list. And then kind of once you have that plan in place, it's a lot easier to then implement it because you've I want to say done the heavy lifting, but it doesn't have to be heavy lifting, you know, it can be as simple as writing out a list.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Yeah. And like you even said it, it sounds so simple when you just say it. Like you just think about what you want to eat, duh. Like, but it can feel like, oh my gosh, meal planning, this is a huge process. Like, I don't have time. And but you're right, like just thinking, okay, what are some meals our family really likes to eat that's simple, nutritious, you know, has all this stuff. I think, at least for me, uh, sometimes when I think about meal planning, it's like, oh, I want to like make this beautiful meal that I see on Pinterest or Instagram. And it's like, I don't have the time right now to do that. Maybe it on a weekend here and there, like I can have that time and my husband can watch the boys or they can help because they're a little older now. But um, you know, I think that's so overwhelming sometimes, is just that idea of like it doesn't even need to look pretty. You just need to feed your family.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

No, sometimes the simplest recipes are the best too. Like there's a recipe that we have that we do, and we usually have new recipe, like we have new recipes every week, but there's uh it's salt and pepper drumstick. So it's literally chicken drums. You put salt and pepper on it, you put it in the oven and roast it. And we've had to use it more than once on the prep dish plans, even just because it's so good, it's so easy. My kids love it every time. So, you know, there's ones like that that it's like you you can't get simpler than that, but it's tasty and healthy. So it hits the mark on all the all the boxes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Oh my gosh, it totally does. Do you think there's like a key for you, like uh, you know, making it last long term? Like, is there a certain day that you are always meal planning? Like walk us through the logistics.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yeah, and I think with that, um, yes, it's good to have like the system and schedule. I will say, especially with little kids, like the seasons change very quickly. Like if you have an infant, like it might change. Like you have like a nap for two hours. And so, like, for six months that works great. And then the nap changes. So, you know, like it will shift. Um, but I think it's just looking, okay, what does my life look at right now? And the good thing about little little kids and even older kids is there usually is some sort of inherent schedule and system. And so that is like one of the first keys is finding a time that like backs into like a set time, right? Okay, I know every, you know, Saturday morning my husband will take the kids outside for an hour and I can like write that list or make the grocery order or, you know, whatever it is, but just having kind of the set day and time when it backs up to something else, you know, making it this habit. And then um, you know, that kind of sets it in motion. But that's kind of the first step is figuring out when is it realistic to do and not just having it on a to-do list, but actually having it on your calendar and knowing the day and time that works, whether it's a nap time or, you know, whatever it is. Um, another thing that can really help, and this is where the the meal plans will come in handy, is figuring out are there pieces you can delegate. So we'll have people, you know, the grocery list is done. So maybe the husband, you know, the husband does the grocery shopping with the meal prep already lined up. Maybe you have a babysitter that's willing to during nap time do some chopping or like mix up a marinade. It's all there. So it's kind of nice that because it's printed out and set up, people can jump in, you know, people can jump in and help. So you can delegate and kind of have like this teamwork project and everyone can pick up where the other one left off.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

Yeah, that's a really good idea. Um, so I'm curious. So I we meal plan at our house pretty often. It's been it's actually like a joke with one of my husband's friends because anytime he comes over, he's like, Well, what's on the menu this week, Liz? Like, what's what are we having? Because he was he was just like blown away that that's what we do. I'm like, he'll save so much money doing this way. But um, so we meal plan, I love it, but I find, and maybe other people find this too. It's kind of like we do the same thing. We have like tacos once a week. We, you know, we have these staple meals that most of my children like here and here and there, or at least me and my husband like, and we're like, you're gonna like this someday. We're just gonna do it. Um, but we get in these ruts, I feel like, where it's like, yeah, like I just get kind of tired of these and I do want to try something new. And of course, you know, again, simple answer, well, then write it out and like go get the stuff. But I feel like when it comes then to kids and they start having either maybe more pickier tastes and or more opinions, I guess, you know, how how have you found that people can kind of keep that going the meal planning without feeling like, uh, I'll just give up and now we're ordering out all the time or yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

Yeah, I think there's a few things. So one, I think with picky eaters, part of it's just having like establishing how you handle meals in your house. Like, hey, here's what we're having for dinner tonight. End of story. Like, not to say there's not going to be complaints, but kind of like starting there of like, okay, this is what we're having. Um, but then you know, there's ways that you can work with them and and kind of help them. So, you know, for example, if you want to switch something up, maybe you make a sauce and you don't put it on top of the chicken or the salmon, right? Like you keep the chimichuri on the side and it's there. And what I've found is a lot of times, even within a meal, like one of my kids will be like, I don't want to eat that. So I say, fine, you know, you don't have to, you know, if you want to, you can, but no, you don't have to eat it. And then by the end of the meal, he'll be eating it. But then lately the pattern is that night he doesn't eat it, but then we'll have leftovers for lunch the next day at lunch. I've noticed. Then he's like, okay, like I saw it last night, now I'm gonna eat it. And then he's like, Oh, this is good. So, you know, just but not you don't have to like force all new things, like always having something that they are familiar with and then introducing something new so that way, hey, maybe they don't try the new thing that night. But if they see everyone else at the table eating and enjoying it, a lot of times they'll come around eventually. And I try not to focus. That's another big tip. Don't focus on what they're eating, don't look, don't watch. They feel the pressure, like just I have a friend that works with fam, you know, picky eaters, and she'll actually have the family videotape, like set up their phone and videotape just so you can see and then be like, what would that feel like if someone was like staring at your food and being like, oh, that's so yummy. You know, like they pick up on these things. So the more I just really don't have an opinion on what my kids eat, half the time I don't even pay attention to what they eat. Like I just know they're there, they're at the table with us, they're eating the same foods, and I just kind of focus on my own meal, just as I would want someone else to do with me.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Yeah, that's a really good point. And I feel like most moms in have deal dealt with like a picky eater. And if you haven't, you probably will because it's like it's gonna happen to you, even if you think it won't. Um, but even like my kids, some of my kids are a little older now, and I find that it it's very similar. Like we handle that very similarly. Like last night, even for example, most of the time my kids love chili, and we made chili, and my youngest, who's six, was like, I don't like this anymore. And it wanted something else, you know, wanted to go have leftover hot dogs from the night before, and and we were just like, No. And so I think there's just so much more of that opinion. But like you said, just being, you know, like, well, this is what dinner is right now. And you know, there was other things he liked. There was carrots, there was bread there, you know, like other things that he can fill up on if he really didn't want to. But I found the same thing. Yeah, he took a few bites, you know, and it it would have been a bigger deal, like you said, had I been sitting there and been like, take a bite, take a bite. You need to eat this food, like this is what it is. Um, but it is really hard as like moms because we want our kids to eat and be healthy and like all of that.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

So yeah, well, and the other thing that I like to keep in mind with kids, like we have kind of been training to look at like, okay, we need to eat a breakfast that's this size, a lunch that's this size, a dinner that that's this size, especially with like babies. It's not even a day getting the same amount of calories, it's a week. So over the course of the week, they need a certain amount of like protein, fat, and carbs. And they are going, it's left to their own devices. There's been research. They are gonna make sure that they get enough protein over the course of the week. So on Tuesday night when they eat nothing, well, that's okay. They're gonna make up for it maybe on Thursday, you know, like their bodies aren't, you know, three every three hours exactly the same proportion. So they know to tune into that. So sometimes I think it's just kind of allowing them to do that.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

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SPEAKER_01 16:10

Yeah, so grocery shopping, number one, always have a list. Like I get into this trap too. You go into the store, you don't have a list, and it's like you're throwing things in, and that's where you get to the end of the week and it's like, I bought these radishes and I didn't like do anything with them. Like, why did I buy radishes? You know? So like I just like some, oh, we need to eat rad. I don't know. So making sure you go in with a list and sticking to that list is kind of like first, if you're actually going into the physical store, making that list divide it up by departments. So, like in my grocery store, it starts with produce. I put produce at the top, and then next is like the meat counter. So then I put me and then, you know, so putting it in the order in which you're going to go, it really does make the grocery trip a lot faster when you're not having to like reverse back and go to a different section. Um, and then from there, you know, my favorite thing now, I'm in the country and so I do online ordering and I have my groceries delivered. Sometimes, you know, I'm testing out the meal plans. I have an editor that creates them, but like I will help out with the testing. Sometimes there'll be a slip up, and then I'm like, oh man, because it's like my job. Yeah. It is kind of a bigger deal, but I order my groceries, they get delivered. Our meal plans, hopefully, by the time this airs, we are in the process of testing. They're integrated with Instacart. So it's one click, the Instacart card is filled, and the groceries are delivered. So, um, or even just like that curbside pickup, depending on, you know, most stores do that now, and that can save a lot of time too to just have that done.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Yeah. Oh my gosh, that would be so cool to have it just like blop right into Instacart.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

And yes, and then you can kind of like add your staples, you know. It's like, okay, and then I also want lemons and some apples and you know, all the other.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Yeah. Well, and it's crazy too, because I feel like the the more years that I've done the meal planning mostly consistently, um, you know, I think it it is really easy because it's like you just you know what you guys are eating every single week. You eat the same stuff, and it's not like you're starting totally fresh. Like I do the pickup order pretty frequently, and it's so nice because you can just go into that buy again section. I'm like, oh, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, all of our stuff. But even like yesterday, I actually decided to go into the store off my list. And I don't do it very often, but I was like, I'm gonna do it. I want to pick my own produce. We've had some issues with the produce picking. And so went in there and well, A, I spent way more than I normally do because I was like, oh yeah, these look great too. Oh, this is a great deal. And so it was good feedback for me of like, okay, if I'm really trying to really watch the buzz budget, I probably do better with the pickup, even if they like upcharge a little bit. Like I actually am saving more doing that. Um I agree. But it is a balance because it's like, yeah, I do, I do enjoy grocery shopping when I have the time. Um, and I like to pick and see what else is new or go, you know, like you get to I know.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

I do like to go in and just kind of see, like, oh, is there another brand or like a this or you know, like what's what do they have these days?

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Yeah. So it is really interesting. I mean, I think it's nice if you can do both sometimes, almost just to kind of keep seeing, you know, what's going on in the actual store. You know, maybe there is something you didn't even know that was like healthier and cheaper, or you just don't know when you're on the app, you know, but it is a real time saver if you can plan ahead and do that. Yes. Okay, so with the meal planning, I know I feel like sometimes it's like, oh, I'm gonna try this recipe, or maybe it's a recipe you're like always doing. And again, just trying to save the mom a time and you know, time and time is money. What are some like must-have just kitchen tools that you have found like super helpful in your family or with clients or whomever?

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Yeah, I mean, my number one thing that I always recommend is like a large wooden cutting board, like a good quality one, and a good quality chef's knife, not like the small paring knife, like the bigger knives. Um, and if you're not comfortable using a knife, like a good knife skills class. There's a lot of local places that have them, even like YouTube videos, but just learning how to use a knife is going to be like a key to healthier eating because you know, you're gonna need to chop some vegetables. So I think that really is the core. And I used to teach uh cooking classes in people's homes, and I would be shocked at like people have these like little cutting boards and little knives, and I'm like, that is so inefficient, and you're never gonna like even growing up. I remember my mom like with this little knife, and I'm like, it's just so much faster if you can get the nice and you know, keep it sharpened. I sharpen mine, you know, a few times a year. It makes a big difference. You can tell once your knife gets dull, it's just it's it slows you down. So um that really is like my key one. Um, from there, you know, I don't recommend a lot of like fancy gadgets or like gadgets only have like one purpose. Depending on your timing and schedule, a nice crock pot or instant pot can be really nice. It just kind of depends if you need that. Like for us, I found on Sundays because we go to church, it's like Sunday morning I put in the crock because we get home at 12:30 and we usually eat at 12. So it has to be ready when we get home. So every Sunday I do something in the crock pot just um for ease. So, you know, part of it kind of depends too on what you need.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

Yeah, we've been trying to lean into some more recipes with this the slow cooker crock pot because yeah, not my kids are in this entering sport age era and we are like always leaving for a practice or game or something at like the five, 5:30 time, and you're like, oh, what do we do with dinner? And so I'm like, I need to hunt down some more recipes for that kind of purpose because it is it's so nice. Then everybody can just kind of eat in the shifts because that's just the reality we're in at the moment or entering into. And yeah, I I like that idea too. And the knife thing, like, oh, you do not want to see my knives. My knives are bad. I and I'm feeling like, oh. Okay, this is my nudge. I need to go either sharpen or believe me, you are not alone.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

It's most I, you know, I went to culinary school. So like it's, you know, I I have a different kind of experience with that, but I do try and put that out there to anyone that.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Oh my gosh, so tricky. Um, you know, with the meal plans too, like I know so many people can be either either they're picky, like your kids are really picky, or maybe somebody is doing like, I don't know, a different kind of diet for whatever purposes, or they can't have gluten or whatever. Can you speak to like how how do you kind of balance all that? Like if you're trying to have, you know, those family dinners, yet everybody has different dietary needs. Um, any suggestions or what do we do?

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Yeah, I I think it some of it depends on like who has the dietary needs and what age. But one thing that's always helpful, and this is what I do when I entertain, is I always do like a mix and match, like build your own, right? Like a bowl. Like bowls are really, you know, like there's rice, you could do beans, a protein. So if you're vegetarian, then if you're paleo, you know, it's like all the different things. Like you can add the dairy or hold the dairy. Um, so you know, I think building your own and like something that's not already like completely put together is really helpful. In terms of like families, if there's dietary restrictions, if it's a kid, as much as possible, like if it's something like dairy, like it is nice to have the whole family just do it, you know, because that can make it trickier if like other people. So I think it, you know, but if it's, I don't know, if it's the mom and you don't mind that everyone else is like putting cheese on their tacos, then I wouldn't worry so much about that. Um, but the other thing with um food allergies and tolerances, so all of our plans are except for one, but they're all gluten-free. I'm gluten-free. So, you know, it's kind of how I created them. But anytime there's a restriction, I say always focus on what you can eat, right? Like there's so many, like you would look at our plans and read this like list of you know, hundreds of thousands of recipes that we've had over the years. And there's not one where you'd be like, oh my gosh, that's like a gluten-free thing. You know, like it's just like a normal food. Like if you focus on what you can eat and don't focus, like sometimes when people have to remove something, they get hyper-focused on that thing and finding a replacement for that thing. Like, oh, let's make all these replacement cheeses. Let's just make like a nice like meal that doesn't require cheese, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

So yeah, that's a good point too. And and like you said, it probably depends a little on if it's like a child and how they're gonna interpret if somebody else is eating that and they can't, or yeah, especially in the home.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

I mean, when you go out, you know, there's other things. But yeah, in the home, I think it's especially in the beginning, it's good to just kind of everyone follow along if they can.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and I found it helpful too. And you can tell me if this is helpful for you, but sometimes like when I meal plan, like we do typically, like I said, have like certain days that we tend to have that same meal, like tacos or whatever. But you know, now every week can be a little different with after school activities and such. And so we've kind of, I don't know, we're just very fluid. It's like I have what we need for what we're gonna eat at some point this week, but I know that we can flex days and I really try to make those really easy, quick meals or slow cookers on days where we're just out the door, we're really busy, or I don't have time to really cook, you know, take the hour to cook dinner or whatever. Um you do that too, is that I am more that way.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Yes, I know. I like I say, like assign a dinner to and I'll like I have a little um board that I'll write it on with the dry erase. I'm I'm like kind of in the middle when it comes to rule breaker or not. Some people are big roll breakers, so it kind of depends on your personality. But yeah, I like to look at it and be like, oh, I said that Tuesday we were gonna do the fish, but like I'm really feeling this tonight. So like I'm gonna I switch it up.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Yeah, yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Like it's there. Um, and if you like, you know, I do like meal preps with like, you know, some of the chopping scents. As long as it's there and ready, then you can look at the list and be like, okay, I'm gonna swap this out, but at least like it's there. You have the ingredients, you have the plan. The main key is really just making sure you get to dinner time and it's like, okay, I don't have to think about it. When you have to think about it, that's where you run into the issues of like, I'm just gonna do takeout. That's when it becomes hard. And at the end of the day, no one wants hard. So the thing that meal planning is doing is it's like setting you up to where that time is like, oh, I don't have to think about it. My past self set me up. I got this, you know?

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Yeah. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about the meal prepping because I feel like even for myself, that's kind of where I get stuck. It's like I've done all this good work. I have we have a plan, we have all the food from the grocery store. And then maybe I don't take that time initially to really prep the food. What kind of foods can we prep maybe like ahead of time, you know, whether it's fruit, veggies, meat, whatever. And then what foods are like, oh, you really should prep it like right before you cook it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Yeah. I mean, the big one that I like to do is chopping the vegetables because, like I said, if they're chopped when you get to dinner, you've kind of got no excuses. Like you're gonna want to use your like, oh my gosh, I spent all this time like chopping those Brussels sprouts. I want to eat, like, they are not going to waste. Like I already like worked on this. So, and the vegetables too. There's the like, you know, batching efficiencies, right? So it's like if you're only pulling out that knife and cutting board, and it doesn't have to be like one day a week, it could be like, okay, I do half of it on, you know, Monday. I kind of pair it with like a meal. So like Monday night as I'm making dinner, I just chop the veggies for Tuesday and Wednesday. And then Thursday at lunch, I just chop, you know, so you can kind of like squeeze it in there. Um, so that's a good one. And then sauces and dressings and marinades, those are really good ones. Those are also good ones because you can usually like double them and use them in a few places, right? Like a balsamic dressing, you can make it, use it for a salad one night, and then the next night use it as a marinade. So, you know, it's like you kind of have to do the work once, but you get multi multiple, you know, uses out of it.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

Yeah. And like that would be such a great tip, too, of just like how could you use the same veggies or the same dressing, or like how could you like do it a couple of times so you're not doing multiple different meals, right? Yes. Like just thinking ahead a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And it just, yeah, just again, back to that efficiency piece. I really like to make it efficient, but then also like you're sitting down and you're having this like fresh, new, fun meal every night that's actually, you know, like sure, you could just like make the same thing every night, but you know, I want, I like to enjoy my food. I want my family to enjoy it, you know. It's it should be a pleasurable experience, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

Yeah. You know, random question on meal planning. But you know, when it when you're doing fruit, I feel like there's a lot of mixed confusion on if you should wash them right before or if you can wash them like earlier. Can you speak to your experience? Like what do we do with fruit? Because I feel like that would be a great time saver to prep everything. But then I have found it it doesn't seem to last very well in my fridge if I pre-wash.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

Yeah, I know. I actually, and I do see people that do that where they like prep all their fruit for the week. Fruit, I more do in the moment. And I don't know, like fruit for us is like what we use as a snack, like a nighttime snack. And so it's really not that hard. Like the kids kind of help with it. So I don't feel like it, and they're always gonna want to eat it. So it's like by not prepping it, they're not gonna not eat fruit. Like that's the thing they're always looking forward to. So yeah, I don't do, and we, you know, we do a lot of like apples, which yeah, you could, but again, like at night we don't need to save five minutes. So yeah, that's not the pinch time. Like, if it was something though, for like if I was gonna do a like a strawberry salad for dinner, maybe I would chop the strawberries in advance because at dinner, maybe like it would help if I didn't have to sit there and like chop the strawberries. So yeah, I don't do a lot of like pre I and I have wondered that on the pre-washing of the fruits, but I do feel like sometimes they go bad. So I don't yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:42

Well, and it's so I feel like that one's just like some people swear by it and other people are the opposite. So then you're like, I don't know. I'm like, I don't know what to do. What do I do? Um, but yeah, it sounds like maybe just do what we're doing and just wash them right beforehand.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

No, I mean, and but the vegetables, I will say vegetables, like anything because you asked earlier, like what doesn't potatoes is one that you do need to like soak in water, but other than that, like a lot of vegetables and they'll be good for like a week. So, like chopped carrots, you know, even like zucchini, a lot of different, you know, cucumbers, tomatoes, as things, onions, you can chop those and they're good for you know, quite a while.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

So it's like three to five days.

SPEAKER_00 30:25

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SPEAKER_01 31:28

Um, you know, I think some of it just kind of going back to what we talked about in the beginning. I think one of the keys, you know, it's like figuring out how to make it a habit. And one thing that I like to kind of help people with initially in the beginning, because it's like, how do I just like start doing it? And I think part of it is just like figuring out in your mind, like, one, why is it important to you? You know, why is it important? Is it important to you, right? Like, is it important to you to sit down with your family and have a meal? And if it is, then I would say that first week that you do it, really like appreciate it as you sit down, be like, oh my gosh, I'm so glad I planned out the meals. Like I'm sitting down with my kids, I'm not up running around. Like, look, we're asking how the day was. Like, really appreciate how it works. And so then that way the next week you have that motivation and been like, oh, this week was so nice. Like, I really want to do that again next week. So I think that can really help create that rhythm in your life when you're thinking through and being intentional with it.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

Yeah, that's that's a really good point too. Like having the why and like making it personal to you, not just like what you know, Allison says or what Elizabeth says, you know, but to you, like personally, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:39

I mean, because to me it's like, yes, the health portion is great. I want my kids to eat healthy. I want, you know, to enjoy our food, but also like just as a family unit, like that is the most important time of our day. Like that is when we sit down, that is when we connect, that is when we are a family, you know? And so for me, it's like about a lot of things, but like just that connection piece is huge for me. So I always try and remind myself that when I'm caught up in the hecticness. And yeah, I get the same way of like, okay, I said I was gonna do the groceries or do the list now or the groceries, and it's like I've got them, you know, it's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

Yeah, it it adds up real fast.

unknown 33:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 33:16

Oh my gosh. Um, well, this has been super helpful. I'm hoping that so many people are gonna get a lot of tips, just like I have, especially about my knives. I'm gonna go look at them right after this. Um, but tell everybody where can they find you? How could they get maybe some of the resources you have?

SPEAKER_01 33:32

Yeah. So the website is Prep Dish. Um, I set up a two-week free trial. So if people want to try the meal plans, sometimes I see even if you're doing it on your own, you can always try them just to kind of see how we've done it to get ideas on how to do it yourself. Um, it's prepdish.com slash motherhood, and it'll be 14 days free to try it out. Um, I'm at Prep Dish on Instagram. Oh, and I have a podcast, Meal Prep Monday, where I talk meal planning, meal prep, but also motherhood, and I kind of go on off on tangents and stuff, but amazing.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Oh my gosh, that'll be so awesome for anybody who's like, I just need some help to start with the meal planning and get the ball rolling. I think that's amazing. Um, so definitely go check out Allison's website and do the two-week free trial. And yeah, the podcast would be an amazing resource too, obviously, because she's gonna go into all kinds of things about meal prepping and food and all of that. So um, I'll make sure all of those links are included in the show notes. And Allison, just thank you so much for being here and like sharing all of your tips and tricks about meal planning. Super helpful. Yeah, thanks for having me. This was a lot of fun. Thank you so much for joining me today, and I hope this episode really brought so much value to your experience in motherhood. Please take a minute to rate and review this podcast and make sure that you're subscribed so you don't miss the next new episode. Until next time, go experience motherhood. The Experienced Motherhood Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing shared on this podcast should be considered clinical advice or a substitute for individualized mental health care. Although I am a licensed professional clinical counselor, this podcast does not establish a therapeutic relationship. If you're needing support, please reach out to a qualified mental health provider near you. If you're in crisis, contact your local emergency services or the 988 Suicide in Crisis Lifelink.